Happy Mother's Day to all of you who give motherly care to the children
of our city.

Thanks to Elinor Hart's NCA Committee on D.C. for the discussion
materials in this issue on D.C. Revitalization which I urge you to read for your May unit
meeting.

Thanks to Mary Ann Luby of the Legal Clinic for the Homeless, for
giving D.C. residents a Creed for a Just and Inclusive Society and a celebration to affirm
longstanding League principles (see below). Thanks to Anise
Jenkins for inviting me to the site of a former slave market at 7th and Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW to participate in "D.C. Emancipation Day" which recognizes the day on
which Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves residing in Washington, April 16, 1962. The event
called for people to support the law suits heard on April 19, 1999. Thanks to all who
attended the court hearing for the two cases demanding democratic rights for D.C. Thanks
to June Duke, Chris Matthews and members of the board who have supported my growth and
development as president these last two years. I carry fond memories of last summer's
convention where our team of delegates put D.C. up front on the national LWVUS agenda.
While I leave the board, I will continue to be an active LWVDC member...helping Scott
McLarty with the Health Committee, cochairing DC VOTE (aka the Coalition for D.C.
Representation in Congress) and assisting the transition of our newly elected LWVDC
president. Even though my daughter graduates from Trinity College this month, I will
continue to assist the student unit at the school.

As the bombs fell in the former Yugoslavia, I was called to work as
coordinator of the Washington Peace Center, a multi-issue volunteer organization with a
monthly newsletter. Sound familiar? Feel free to reach me at (202) 234-2000 or email at peacecent@aol.com

The LWV National Capital Area has completed its two-year study of D.C. finances and
revitalization, culminating in consensus questions for May unit meetings. Leagues in
Maryland and Virginia, as well as the D.C. League, will review the six questions which
could form a strong basis for legislative advocacy and action in the coming year. The May
Units are crucial as the League moves to strengthen its positions regarding the District's
financial health. See Unit Calendar.

The League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia is pleased to
announce that our Super Senior for 1999 is Naomi Glass, who currently serves as our
Treasurer (since 1996) and President of the League of Women Voters of the National Capital
Area. Naomi fills many shoes and has served in numerous capacities, including the
presidency. Her educational training is in mathematics and experimental psychology. Most
recently, she worked as Budget Officer for the D.C. Department of Finance and Revenue and
then as Special Assistant to the Director of that agency. She has been a League member
since 1966 and her tireless commitment to the League is invaluable. Thanks for all you do,
Naomi!!

At their March meeting, Northwest Evening Unit, their guests, and
members from other LWVDC units heard At-Large Councilmember David Catania address a
"shopping list" of issues facing the D.C. Council.

Mr. Catania discussed the need for Council oversight of the Executive,
and invited anyone with problems with D.C. government services to call his office for
assistance. He advocates amending the Home Rule Charter to establish an elected Attorney
General empowered to prosecute corruption and enforce D.C. criminal laws.

Mr. Catania is chair of the Local and Regional Affairs Committee, which
now includes oversight of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. He also serves on the
WMATA Metro Board, where he seeks to improve commuting transportation for D.C. residents
to reach jobs in the suburbs.

At the meeting's end, Anna Marsh, vice president for local program and
chair of the D.C. Affairs Committee, noted that the League needs volunteers to observe
Council meetings at One Judiciary Square and on Cable TV.

Dorothy Duncanson

We are very saddened about the death, March 22, of member Dorothy
Duncanson. Dorothy had been an active member of the Upper Sixteenth Unit and served on the
D.C. Commission on Aging. Prior to her serving on the Commission, she had been an
extremely valuable supporter of the League in many capacities: Education Committee,
International Relations Committee, Voters Service, and recorder for U.S. unit.

Robert H. Cory, Jr.

We are also very saddened by the death of member Robert H. Cory, Jr. He
was the Quaker representative to the United Nations in the early 1960's and a founder of
the William Penn House on Capitol Hill, which he and his wife, Sally, directed for more
than a decade. Bob Cory was a life-long advocate for peace and social justice. We express
our sympathy to his wife, Sally Cory, also a League member.

On the second Wednesday in May at 10:00 a.m., LWVDC member Gladys Weaver will address
the Education Committee. Her topic is home-schooling. Anyone interested in learning more
about this fast growing trend is welcome to join us at 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW in
the LWVDC office. -- Kathy Schmidt, Chair
Next Education Committee Meeting: May 12, 10:00 a.m., LWVDC

According to Impact on Issues 1998-2000: A Leader's Guide to a
National Program, the League of Women Voters of the United States "believes that
a basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost should be available to all U.S.
residents" (p.58).The League also "calls for a national health insurance plan
financed through general taxes, commonly known as the 'single-payer' approach" as the
ultimate goal of reform. The question of health care reform is certain to emerge as a
major issue in the 2000 elections.

On March 13, Maryland's Coalition for Universal Health Care held a
forum in Bethesda which also drew the participation of people from D.C., including Shadow
Representative Florence Pendleton and several LWVDC members. After the forum, we met
informally and agreed that the District, with its unique and urgent health care needs,
should have a similar coalition  now the revived LWVDC Health Committee.

We will build on the League's record of advocacy of health care reform,
using the extensive research the League conducted in the early 1990s, as well as its high
visibility locally and nationally. Since then, we've met a few times and discussed at
length how we might educate and mobilize D.C. residents in support of universal coverage.

The LWV Health Committee has proposed a District-wide town meeting, to
be sponsored by LWVDC. We hope to initiate a united grassroots coalition for tax-based
universal health care.

For more information about universal health care or the Health
Committee of LWVDC, call 202/518-5624. The next meeting of the Health Committee will take
place Monday, May 3, 6:30 p.m. at the LWVDC office, 1234 Massachusetts Avenue NW. --
Scott McLartyNext Health Committee Meeting: May 3, 6:30 p.m., LWVDC

As we go to press, Unit Meetings on "U.N. Treaties in
Trouble" are still two weeks ahead and member interest in foreign policy issues
remains to be assessed. Look for a report on the sense of the meetings in the June DC Voter.
Meanwhile, at its recent meeting, the LWVUS board concluded that there is insufficient
member understanding and agreement on the NATO/Kosovo question for the League to take a
position "on this very complex issue" (e-mail communication from LWVUS Program
Chair Eleanor Revelle).

In other action, LWVUS sent a letter on April 2 to Members of the
Senate regarding the Comprehensive Test Bank Treaty, which still awaits a hearing in the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She wrote, "Polls indicate overwhelming public
support for the treaty. We urge you to speak out in support of expeditious consideration
of the CTBT this year." The letter is accessible on the LWV.org website and on file
at the LWVDC office..

Our Great Decisions discussion series continues. This month's topics
are "The Information Age" (Wednesday, May 12) and "Iran and the Caspian
Basin" (on Wednesday, May 26). We meet in the Rosalie Goodman Room of LWVUS, 1730 M
Street NW, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Visitors are most welcome; call Janet Burmester
202/237-6928 for information.

Other outreach activities: On April 14, Pat Hallman and Sheila Keeny
responded to an invitation from the Institute of International Education to meet with a
delegation from Jordan, participants in USIA's International Visitor Program. Asked to
discuss "how one of the oldest and best known citizen organizations in the U.S.
promotes citizen participation in government and promotes public understanding of major
public policy issues, Pat and Sheila gave a quick sketch of League history from its
women's suffrage origins to today's emphasis on outreach to a diverse community. We even
had a chance to explain the peculiar condition in which D.C. citizens find themselves with
respect to representation in Congress. A parting gift from our five visitors, a small
hand-embroidered wall hanging, will grace our new office. -- Sheila Keeny,
ChairI.R. Committee, Great Decisions Meetings, May 12, "The Information Age"; May
26, "Iran and the Caspian Basin" both at 11:00 a.m., LWVUS (R. Goodman Room)

The George Washington University of School of Public Health & Human
Services and Graduate School of Education & Human Development held a symposium on
April 8 focusing on "better health outcomes for all young people in the
District." The statistics provided by Melissa Littlefield and Jenifer Prout, DC Kids
Count, and Dr. Howard Freed, D.C. General Hospital, were daunting. Twenty-five per cent of
the 96,700 children in D.C. as of 1996 are in poverty compared to the national average of
17%. Two-thirds of the children were born to unwed mothers, and 55 are in fatherless
families. Twenty percent of new mothers received no pre-natal care. There is an average of
one gunshot wound per day and one stabbing per day. Young males 12 years and up are the
majority of the victims.

Mark Robertson, D.C. Public Schools, reported a dropout rate of 50%. He
enumerated problems with mismanagement, funding and maintenance of buildings which will
cost $1 billion and lack of staff development. On the other hand Superintendent Ackerman
has instituted a number of initiatives including: social promotion ended; safety net in
place, e.g. summer school; standards set for school achievement; health program including
AIDS awareness.

For more information contact: Joan Domike, Chair, Children Action
Committee, at 202/966-3865.

The D.C. League has joined a coalition, spearheaded by the D.C. Public
Affairs Section, District of Columbia Bar and the ACLU of the National Capital Area, to
sponsor a forum on how to improve the D.C. Council. The planning is still in process, but
the Forum is tentatively scheduled for June 8 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at UDC.

The impetus for the Forum was two reports; one from the National
Conference of State Legislatures "Building a Stronger, More Effective
Institution" and another from the DC Appleseed Center "Operational Reform of the
District of Columbia Council: A Fix-It-Yourself Manual." As the District emerges from
its financial crisis, citizens are looking at the Council to help shape that future. Does
the Council have the resources to analyze and develop detailed proposals? Are citizens
given timely, adequate information and the opportunity to participate?

Linda Cropp, D.C. Council Chair, will open the session. A panel
including the Latino Civil Rights Center, D.C. Action for Children, Gay and Lesbian
Activists' Alliance. Also invited are the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan
Washington AFL-CIO follows.

Early Alert: Future of Social Security  Discussion
Option for Units in June

LWVUS has provided us with educational materials on the future of Social Security. The
material has been prepared by "Americans Discuss Social Security" (ADDS), a
two-year effort created and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and designed to promote
nonpartisan discussion among citizens on the issue. The ADDS material includes pamphlets,
a "Discussion Leader Kit" and a "Discussion Starter." Sets of
materials can be provided to each Unit should they wish to make the subject part of their
"Units' choice" program in June. If interested, Units have been asked (through
Council) to name a point of contact and notify me accordingly (202/363-8940). Some basic
information will be included in the June issue of the DC Voter. --
Barbara Yeomans, 3rd Vice President (National Program)

Convention. As incredible as it seems, NCA's Annual Convention,
which punctuates our League year, is just around the corner: Saturday, May 8, at 9:30 a.m.
at the Channel Inn. We frequently hear from Leaguers regarding the relationships among the
various levels of League organization and the activities of the LWVUS. Because our guest
speaker is Jane Gruenebaum, the still- new Executive Director of the LWVUS, we will have
an excellent opportunity to explore those areas! We will also, of course, choose program
for the next two years and elect half the Board. A first this year is the presentation of
the Naumann Award. Perhaps most important, we will receive reports of NCA's and local
Leagues' activities since the last Convention. For a reservation contact Mary Elizabeth
Gordon, 3314 Parkside Terrace, Fairfax, VA 22031. 703/280-5186.

Membership Roundtable. At the Membership Roundtable open meeting
on May 21 attendees will be invited to identify current and potential LWVUS incentives to
local League's membership efforts. We hope to take advantage of the opinions and extensive
membership experience in our member Leagues.

D.C. Revitalization. Watch for this: the D.C. Revitalization
Committee is leading area-wide consensus meetings," he culmination of the two-year
study approved by our 1997 Annual Convention. This set of meetings builds upon those held
by the Committee last year and, in addition, upon the exemplary support provided last June
at the LWV-US Convention for the successful effort to add Congressional Representation for
D.C. to the Making Democracy Work campaign. The study phase may not be completed by May 8,
but the finish line is in sight, and we will have an up-to-the-minute progress report.
Many thanks to Chair Elinor Hart and her committee.

Water Resources. Laudatory responses to the Water Resources
Committee report continue to pour in. We've received inquiries from as far away as Boston
and from as close as the Martin Luther King Library in D.C. We have testified before the
Maryland General Assembly and before the Council of the District of Columbia. And this is
still the beginning. Kudos to the Water Resources Committee, led by Bob Perry and Task
Force co-chair Joy Hecht.

On March 24, 1999 the D.C. Chapter of the League of Women Voters
sponsored a workshop at the Sumner School to discuss the LWVNCA Water Supply Task Force
Discussion Paper entitled "Drinking Water Supply in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan
Area: Prospects and Options for the 21st Century, February 1999." This is a
discussion paper focusing on the next 50 years in the D.C. region and its supply of
drinking water during that period. The Co-Chairs for the Task Force, Joy E. Hecht of
Arlington and Robert R. Perry of Falls Church, offered a clear presentation of the issues
that gave rise to engaging questions from the audience. The audience included
representatives from some of the water suppliers and local governments as well as
interested citizens. Roland C. Steiner and Erik Hagen, key staff from the ICPRB, also
participated. The ICPRB studies the water supply every five years, and the possibility of
LWV working with ICPRB on the next study was considered.-- Myles Glasgow

We are committed to the recovery of the District of Columbia as a truly
inclusive community -- rooted in justice, which respects the rights and dignity of all of
its members while striving for the common good;

We believe in a community where all have opportunities for improved
quality of life;

We believe that education, training, and recreation enhance life both
for the individual and the community;

We believe that employment opportunity and income security stabilize
communities;

We believe that an affordable home is essential to human growth and development;

We believe that the diseases of substance abuse and mental illness can
be remedied and relieved by quality treatment services and encouragement and community
support;

We believe that all residents of the District are entitle to quality
medical care;

We believe that our brother and sisters who are incarcerated deserve
humane treatment and the opportunity for rehabilitation;

We believe that an effective "safety net" can minimize the
impact of social/economic crises on the lives of women, men and children and on the life
of the community;

We believe that residents and elected officials of the District of
Columbia should exercise self-determination vis-a-vis local budget, policies and laws.

We believe that only when needs are addressed and opportunities offered
will the community be truly inclusive, rooted in justice, respectful of the rights and
dignity of all and focused on the common good.

This statement was at the heart of an April 15 celebration held at
Luther Place Memorial Church 14th and N Streets, NW  organized by local non-profit
and advocacy organizations, business and faith community leaders, and other concerned D.C.
residents  endeavoring to "make visible our vision of a just and inclusive
community." In addition to the D.C. League of Women Voters, the Creed was signed by
100 community, educational and faith- based institutions. For more information about
effort, call Mary Ann Luby at 202/872-1494

The DC Voter is a monthly publication of the League of Women
Voters of the District of Columbia. It is available either through membership
($40.00/year) or through direct subscription ($10.00 per year). President, Luci Murphy,
Treasurer, Naomi Glass; Editor, Virginia Spatz (email: vspatz@access.digex.net).
LWVDC, 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005. 202/347-3020. Fax:
202/347-2522.
Website: http://www.capaccess.org/lwvdc
E-mail: voters1@capaccess.org.